Various modifications and accessories to table tennis tables and nets have been proposed over the years with a view to increasing the challenge of playing the game of table tennis, increasing the ease of playing table tennis, allowing for only one player to play, or to allow making use of different or further skill sets.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,729,982 entitled “Table Tennis Table, Conversion Kit, and Associated Method” teaches a pair of rigid auxiliary panels having mounting elements for mounting the auxiliary panels to respective side edges of a table tennis table, so that the auxiliary panels each have a first orientation extending substantially perpendicularly relative to the horizontal main table panel, and an alternate second orientation substantially coplanar with the mail table panel to thereby extend the playing surface of the main panel thereby increasing the playing surface area for playing table tennis.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,470,057 entitled “Paddle Game”, teaches the providing of an elongate deflector member for resting on a table top, such as a table tennis table. The deflector has a generally triangular configuration when viewed in cross-section, and has two opposing angular playing surfaces which extend toward each other in intersecting planes to form an apex. A thin game board is removably positioned on and co-operates with the deflectors so that the game board extends generally vertically above the apex of the deflector. The thin game board, supported by the angular playing surfaces, has a target such as one or more openings therein for use by the players when returning or serving a ball to the opposing player.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,979 entitled “Table Tennis Style Game with Basketball Backboards, Hoops, Nets, and Foam Ball” teaches a table tennis style apparatus, comprising a normal table tennis table, further having a pair of mutually-opposite basket-ball style backboards disposed on mutually-opposite side edges of such table, with a net extending perpendicularly therebetween. The basketball-style backboards are detachable from the side edges of the table.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,365 entitled “Table Tennis Side Rebound Panel” teaches a pair of side rebound panels for mounting at respectively opposite parallel side edges of a table tennis table. Each of the rebound panels is supported by laterally stabilizing tubular triangular inclined struts. A table tennis net is adapted to extend intermediate each of the rebound panels. The rebound panels when in playing position remain in fixed vertical orientation in a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the table tennis table.
To like effect, U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,385 entitled “Portable Game Apparatus”, teaches a table tennis table having vertical side panels similar to U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,365, save that instead of using triangular struts to stabilize the panels when mounted on opposite side edges of the table, the panels are instead each provided with along their base with protruding elements with may be inserted into corresponding apertures provided in the table tennis table, so as to thereby secure and stabilize the vertical side (rebounder) panels, which in playing position remain in fixed vertical orientation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,935,024 entitled “Table tennis Rebound Board” teaches a vertical back board for mounting along one of the short parallel edges of a table tennis table, which has a front face with a plurality of undulations therein. The rebound board, when vertically mounted to the table tennis table, allows a player to bounce the table tennis ball off the rebound board and thereby have the table tennis ball returned to him or her, but due to the undulations in the board the direction of return is constantly varying thereby providing challenge and interest for the single player.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,056 entitled “Table tennis Table Accessory Device” teaches a rotatable ball rebound backboard unit (12), and a plurality of pivoted sideboard units suspended from a moveable support unit, whereby the backboard unit (12) and the sideboard units (13) may be disposed at selected angles and orientations relative to one another and to the table tennis table. Each of the sideboard units (13) comprise a generally elongate trapezoidal rebound board member (40) suspended from an elongated L-shaped rod member (41), wherein the downwardly depending leg (42) of the rod member (41) is dimensioned to be rotatably received in the recess (23) formed in the support arms (22), such that the sideboard units (13) may be rotated both towards and away from one another as well as the backboard unit (12). Significantly, due to the pairing of the sideboard units (13) with the backboard unit, such device can only adapt a table tennis table to be played by one player.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,051 entitled “Ball Return Practice Device” likewise teaches a rebound board which may be mounted on a net which bisects a ball court. The rebound board has a textured surface subdivided into squares.
US Publication 2005/0159251 entitled “Ball Return Device” teaches a pair of triangular ramp members which may be placed in juxtaposed position but on opposite sides of a ball net, such as a table tennis net. End brackets (32)(34) may be connected to opposite ends of each of the two ramp members (22) (24) to further facilitate direction of a ball.
U.S. Design Pat. 410,266 entitled “Table Tennis Game Table Top with Bankboards” teaches an ornamental design for a table tennis game table top with deflecting side panels. The side panels are located on opposite side edges of the game table top, and extend vertically upward therefrom. No teaching is provided as to whether the inclination of such “bankboards” may be variably inclined or positioned.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,471 entitled “Table Tennis Apparatus” is one of the more relevant prior art publications in respect of the invention hereinafter disclosed and claimed in this application. In this regard U.S. '471 teaches a table tennis apparatus having a horizontal playing surface, further having a pair of vertically upright rebounding panels mounted centrally and at respectively opposite side edges of the playing surface. The rebounding panels each possess a plurality of variously inclined surfaces. In a preferred embodiment, the rebounding panels are slideably attached to the table to provide for slidable lateral adjustment of the panels horizontally towards or away from the side edges of the table tennis table. Disadvantageously, however, the rebounding panels are fixedly positioned in a vertically upright position, and while there is disclosed means to adjust and vary the lateral distance separating each rebounding panel and the side edge of the table tennis table and thus adjust the lateral separation distance between the rebounding panels, there is no disclosure or teaching of any feature which would allow the inclination of the rebounding panel to be adjusted, nor the height of such rebounding panel to be adjusted, to be able to account for player preferences and varying skill levels and assist players in being best able to use the rebounding panels and without making their use so challenging that such panels are not used.
In addition, due to the plurality of inclined surfaces provided on each rebounding panel in US regard to the rebounding panels, each of a different inclination, it is extremely difficult for a serving player to be able to consistently be able to hit a ball of the rebounding panel and cause it to land on the table tennis table on the opposing players's side. Moreover, and likewise it is extremely difficult for a returning player to be able to ever return a ball which is banked off a rebounding panel.
As a result, use of prior art rebounding panels frequently results in immediate stoppages in table tennis play, thereby reducing player satisfaction.
In view of the foregoing shortcomings of the prior art, and in particular U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,471, in failing to provide for a satisfactory means for increasing table tennis playable surface area without resulting in reduced player satisfaction, a real need exists to improve or modify the rebounding panels of U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,471 to make it easier for table tennis players to be able to use rebound panels in table tennis games.